One relatively easy way to minimize ship strikes is to reduce ship speed. As exhibited by efforts on the East Coast where ship speed limits are already in place, reducing ship speed can protect whales by decreasing the risk of collision and reducing underwater noise pollution. According to a report by the National Marine Fisheries Service,a reduction to a speed of 10 knots could potentially reduce the risk of a ship collision with a whale by 40 percent. Furthermore, not only do slower ships use less fuel which could reduce costs for the shipping industry, but they also emit fewer air pollutants including greenhouse gases like black carbon, reducing harm to our climate and public health.

Compared to the East Coast, whale species along the West Coast are much less protected. However, ports along the California coast (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara Channel and San Francisco Bay) have begun rerouting existing shipping lanes in an effort to reduce the presence of ships in areas whales are known to frequent. In addition, Whale Aware has developed an app for tablets and smartphones that allows citizen scientists to keep track of whale sightings. While these changes are a positive step in the right direction towards whale protection, there is still room for improvement especially in light of this most recent whale death from a ship strike.